WSOC: Final Four Preview
Four elite programs ready for battle at McMahon Stadium
Article by Brian Swane, special to CW
Nov. 1, 2024 - From the moment preparations begin for the Canada West women’s soccer season, all that any team wants is to be playing in November.
Make it to the Canada West Final Four, and the ultimate goal is within tantalizingly close reach. Simply win twice in three days, and the CW Women’s Soccer Championship Trophy is yours.
That said, nothing so simple could be more difficult when considering the quartet of teams in the 2024 Canada West Final Four are rich in prestige and of high quality.
After winning their respective quarterfinal matches, the Calgary Dinos, Trinity Western Spartans, UBC Thunderbirds, and Victoria Vikes are gathering at Calgary’s McMahon Stadium in pursuit of a championship. Semifinals take place Friday, leading to the gold and bronze medal matches on Saturday.
One semifinal features the host Dinos and the Vikes, two programs with a lot in common: Both are two-time conference champions, both lost just twice during the regular season, and both have shutouts in five of their last seven matches, including in the quarter-final round.
The other semifinal is a rematch of last year’s championship match, which saw Trinity Western defeat UBC in a scoreless game that was decided by penalty kicks. The T-Birds and Spartans are the two most successful programs in Canada West women’s soccer history, with 16 and 10 conference titles, respectively.
It should also be noted that three berths to the U SPORTS women's soccer national championships are on the line this weekend. The winners of Friday's quarter-final games, as well as the winner of Saturday's bronze medal game, will book their ticket to Halifax for the championships which will be hosted by Dalhousie University from Nov. 7 to 10.
All games will be broadcast live on Canada West TV, powered by BioSteel. Here’s a look at who to watch in Friday’s semifinal matches:
Calgary (11-2-1 regular season, 1-0 playoffs) vs. Victoria (7-2-5 regular season, 1-0 playoffs) – 1 p.m. MDT, Nov. 1
- Regular Season head-to-head
- Did not play
- Who to Watch:
- Isabella Burtini (Calgary, first year, midfield) was selected to the Canada West All-Rookie team last week, then went out and scored the only goal of Calgary’s 1-0 quarter-final victory UBC Okanagan. She now has five goals in her last six matches.
- Ruby Nicholas (Victoria, third year, forward) assisted on Sophie Fingarson’s late goal that lifted Victoria past Saskatchewan in the quarterfinals last week. The 2024 Canada West First Team All-Star led her team with 14 points in the regular season.
UBC (14-0-0 regular season, 1-0 playoffs) vs. Trinity Western (8-4-2 regular season, 1-0 playoffs) – 4 p.m. MDT, Nov. 1
- Regular Season head-to-head
- Sept. 20: Spartans 0 at Thunderbirds 4
- Oct. 20: Thunderbirds 2 at Spartans 0
- Who to Watch
- Jade Taylor-Ryan (UBC, fourth year, forward) was named a Canada West First Team All-Star after leading the conference with 13 goals in the regular season. The Ottawa product scored twice in UBC’s quarter-final victory over Alberta last week.
- Mansha Sidhu (Trinity Western, second year, forward) scored the winning goal in TWU’s 2-1 upset of MacEwan in the quarterfinal round last week. During the regular season, she led the Spartans with four goals and eight points.
Championship Saturday Schedule
Bronze Medal Game – 1 p.m. MDT, Nov. 2
Gold Medal Game – 4 p.m. MDT, Nov. 2